City of Hope in Los Angeles

City of Hope is considered a premier cancer hospital.  Much research is done there, and according to people I know who have been treated at City of Hope, their  care is top notch.  Unfortunately my experience was not so positive.  I went to them for a second opinion after my initial diagnosis in June 2010.  Their pathology department concurred with that diagnosis (cholangiocarcinoma).  Fast forward to January 2013.  After receiving cytotoxic chemo for 2.5 years, it's been since discovered that I don't have cholagiocarcinoma; I actually have pancreatic neuroendocrine tumor which requires a totally different regime that is much less toxic.  So... for 2.5 years we've been chasing the wrong beast, wasting precious time, and suffering from the short and long term effects from those treatments.  Though I was already stage IV at the time of my original diagnosis, I'm in an even more precarious position now as the PNET has since invaded my lymph nodes because we've on the wrong path.  If you are in the Southern California area, another facility to look into is the USC-Norris Cancer Center in Los Angeles.  I've been treated there for my liver metastasis and I really have a high opinion of my specialist, Dr. John Daniels.  He actually suspected neuroendocrine tumor, but was declined by my insurance to have his pathology department look at my biopsy slides again.  Since he would have done the same procedure (TACE) whether I had Cholangio or PNET, he proceeded with the surgery which was the only truly successful treatment I received until my rediagnosis this year.

I hope this helps.  In spite of my experience, I would still explore treatment at City of Hope.  And as always should be done, question their decisions regarding your care.  What I've learned from my cancer journey is that even first rate cancer facilites make mistakes, and we are our own best advocate.

Andrea